Beautiful Nightmare
by 0racular
Summary: Is Santana really worth chasing after? Rated M for later chapters and possible swearing through parts. Brittana primarily with a bit of Faberry on the side.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Ok. This is my first Glee fic and actually one of my very first fics at all so, hopefully it won't be too bad. _

_I don't have a Beta or anything and am still getting used to the whole writing thing so if it sucks, then I'm sorry._

_Anywho! _

_I don't own Glee or the song used. You can thank Beyoncé for that. _

_Enjoy!_

Brittany is sitting at her desk randomly doodling in her notebook as the teacher as the front of the class is talking about nouns, or sheep or something... she wasn't really listening. All she could think about whilst idly moving her pen across paper, was a certain brunette. Not Rachel Berry though, that would be weird. Not that Brittany doesn't like Rachel. She likes Rachel, even though she talks away too much sometimes and uses words Brittany cant understand. But yes, she definitely likes Rachel - much to Santana's annoyance.

Santana.

The very girl who's been plaguing her mind so much recently. Whatever you could call the 'thing' going on between the two cheerleaders was starting to confuse Brittany, and despite the fact that everyone seemed to think everything confuses Brittany, this confused her on a totally different level. What Santana and her had was something special, so she thought at least anyway. She always got this weird, special feeling whenever they slept together and everything always seemed so tender between them, but then it would always end the same way.

Santana would lie next to her and tell her not to say anything about what they get up to, then she would have to walk around school seeing the brunette eyeing down the next guy she wanted to sleep with. She sighed and started packing up her things as the bell rang, signalling the end of school. She was grabbing her bag out of her locker when she saw the very girl she'd been thinking about all day approaching her with a wave.

"Hey S..." Her voice lacked it's usual brightness. She closed her locker as the other cheerleader looked at her with a confused look before quickly shaking it off. They started talking as they walked down the corridor towards the front of school again, well Santana was talking and Brittany was listening, barely, to her go on about this new guy that was so 'super hot.' They got to the front of the building and Santana waved as she said goodbye. Brittany frowned.

"Are... you not coming over tonight? It's a Friday." Santana shrugged.

"I've got a date with that guy I was telling you about, so I'll probably be at his tonight." She turned and started to walk off towards her car.

"I'm sure I'll see you at some point over the weekend though B, have a good one." She threw over her shoulder as she walked away. Brittany just sighed again and walked towards her car and drove home. When she entered her house she immediately ran upstairs and into her room, throwing herself on the bed. She put her I-pod on as she closed her eyes, just praying that her brain would let her have a few hours off from thinking about Santana.

Unfortunately her brain wasn't doing her any favours tonight and she already found herself thinking about the Latina again, wishing she wasn't on her date with that random guy who she doesn't even know anything about because she couldn't even bear listening to Santana go on and on about him.

She let a small sob out as the tears that had been threatening to fall finally leaked out and left faint tracks on her cheeks.

_You could be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare._ _Either way I don't wanna wake up from you._

The blonde let out a bitter chuckle as tears continued to trail down her cheeks. It was almost funny just how fitting those simple lyrics were... almost. It basically summed up how Brittany saw Santana. At times she was so loving and tender towards the blonde cheerleader. Whether it was in the bedroom or just in school, when Santana would make sure to watch Brittany's back if anyone dared to call her stupid or insult her any other way.

Then suddenly it would all change.

Just as Brittany would finally think that they were finally moving forwards in their 'relationship,' Santana would suddenly be going on about some new guy who she liked, and that what they were doing wasn't dating.

Of course, because sex isn't dating.

Except Brittany went to bed almost every night wishing that it could be in their case. That she could wake up next to the fiery brunette and kiss her good morning and laugh at her softly as the tanned girl tried to shake herself into the land of the conscious again, mumbling grumpily until she had succeeded.

Because Santana was totally not a morning person.

The thought made the blonde smile briefly until the reality hit her again like a smack in the face. It would never happen, because even if Santana could entertain the thought of giving up all the attention she got by going out with those boys to even remain committed to Brittany, the idea alone of two girls in a relationship would, in Santana's words; "do nothing for her rep."

Brittany wasn't as stupid as everyone made her out to be. Yes she couldn't work out maths problems too well, and she had to occasionally copy Quinn's work in Spanish, but she was more perceptive than most people gave her credit for. She knew that whilst Santana would flirt with guys left right and centre, she never showed nearly as much compassion or tenderness towards them as she did with Brittany.

The song finished with the same line from before bringing forth a fresh wave of tears.

_Either way I don't wanna wake up from you._

And that was the problem. No matter how many times Santana dragged Brittany along just to throw her away as soon as another prospective boy came into the picture, Brittany would never give up on Santana. It made her angry, because it made her feel weak and Coach had always told her to not be weak.

Santana had once told her that it was ok to be weak sometimes, and it just meant that she would have to be extra strong for both of them.

It wouldn't really work in this case though.

She jumped slightly as her phone which had been resting on her stomach started to vibrate. She looked at the caller ID and smiled slightly.

"Hey Q." She wished it had been Santana, but she was pretty glad it was Quinn.

"Hey sweetie. I was just calling to check up on you. You seemed a bit... out of it during last period today. More so than usual."

Since getting pregnant, the ex cheerleader had become a lot calmer and friendlier since finding out - the hard way - that popularity and being on the Cheerios weren't the most important things in life.

"Yeah I was just... thinking about stuff that's all." She tried to put on a cheery voice but she knew Quinn would see straight through it.

"By any chance were you thinking about Santana?" Maybe she was psychic... yeah that had to be it.

"Q... are you psychic?" She could hear chuckling from the other line.

"No I'm not psychic Britt, it's just painfully obvious." She could hear the sympathy in her friend's voice and it made her want to start crying all over again.

"I don't know what to do Quinn..." her voice was small and pitiful but she didn't care. Quinn wouldn't judge her, she wouldn't call her weak.

"Oh Britt. You need to sort things out in that cute head of yours and set Santana straight. You can't let her keep messing you around like this. You don't deserve it, and the way she's acting at the moment, she definitely doesn't deserve to have you." She knew Quinn was right... she was generally right with things like this after all. It still made her sad for someone to speak of Santana like that.

"Maybe it's best to just not see her this weekend B, have some space from her and collect your thoughts. It's obvious you need to work out whether or not she's worth chasing after."

"I don't want to chase her, that will scare her wont it? I get scared when people chase me."

"You wont actually be chasing her B-" Quinn spoke in a soft, patient voice. "-you need to work out whether or not she's worth the hurt that you're feeling right now." Brittany thought for a few minutes before sighing. Her head was starting to hurt.

"Thanks Q." She replied simply before wishing Quinn goodnight and hanging up the phone.

She put her phone on her bedside table and took her headphones out just in time to hear her Dad calling her down for dinner.

Quinn's words flashed through her head as she made her way downstairs. She knew she needed to have some space from Santana, just things like that were easier said than done.

_So that's the first chapter. I already have the next bit ready to post, so hopefully if enough people are reading this then I'll put up the next bit soon. It may be a bit of a slow start, but I didn't want to rush anything._

_So yes, please comment if you like. Or even if you don't like it, I can use criticism. :) _

_Next part will be up soon! _


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: So here's the next chapter. :) This may again seem a bit slow but as I said before, I don't really want to rush things. So bare with me._

_Thanks to those who commented on the first chapter._

_Disclaimer's still the same, I own absolutely nada._

_Any mistakes are mine._

_Enjoy!_

Quinn sighed as she flopped back on her bed. She smiled as she felt a small arm wrap across her stomach and opened her eyes to see deep brown ones staring back at her.

"How is she?" The small brunette asked. Quinn sighed and shrugged.

"Not great. Man, Santana really needs a kick up the ass."

"Or a smack around the head. Although I will most definitely not be the one to perform such a task-" She glanced at the beautiful blonde who now had her arms wrapped around her. "-she'd totally punch me in the face, and I cannot afford to have any damage done to my face." She pouted at her own thought and Quinn chuckled.

"I won't let her touch you Rach, how's that?" She winked down at the smaller girl who grinned back before kissing her softly on the lips.

Rachel pulled back and rested her head on Quinn's chest and was silent for a few minutes.

"How can Santana do it though. I mean you can tell there's something between them, something strong. I mean I don't understand how she can act like that towards Brittany and still go around fornicating with other boys."

Quinn raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Fornicating, Rach?"

The smaller girl blushed.

"You know what I mean. I just don't get it. I would never even think about doing that to you, I-" She paused slightly and buried her face into Quinn's neck and murmured something. Quinn could barely make out she was talking, the warm breath and slight tingle of lips moving against her skin the only indication.

"I didn't quite catch that last bit Rach..."

She sighed and moved her head slightly.

"I care too much about you to hurt you like that."

Quinn smiled softly and cupped Rachel's face, moving her closer as she slowly leaned down to catch her lips in a long, sweet kiss.

"I know you wouldn't baby, and I'd never do anything like that to you either. Promise." She murmured the last word against her lips before briefly catching them again. She pulled away and wrapped her arms around the small brunette before laying back down, Rachel resting comfortably into her side again.

"So what are we going to do?" She asked whilst trying to stifle a yawn. The blonde girl shrugged again.

"I have absolutely no idea, I mean-" before she could finish Rachel had leapt off her bed and was digging around in a drawer. She let out a happy kind of squeak and jumped back on the bed, sitting with her legs crossed facing Quinn, who was pouting at the sudden loss of contact.

"And here I was thinking you were tired..." She mumbled as the brunette grabbed a few pens.

"We need to make a detailed plan. We can call it 'How to give Santana a kick up the ass without actually having to make any physical contact as to avoid said ass kicking being reversed.' " She grinned proudly at Quinn who laughed at her whilst sitting up herself.

"and intensified." She leaned over and kissed Rachel's forehead.

"Maybe we should work on the name later."

Brittany woke up to her phone ringing on her bedside table. She grumbled as the vibrations coming from it caused the device to fall to the floor. She blindly felt around for it and grabbed it. She felt her stomach drop as she looked at the screen. 7 missed calls and numerous texts, all from one person.

Santana.

She sighed and deleted the messages without looking at them, she didn't want the temptation of the Latina's company to cancel out this whole 'space' plan she had going on. They were most likely just Santana asking if she could come over to give her the details on her date anyway, which Brittany figured would be one of the worst things to endure right now.

Still, she felt guilty.

She stared at her phone again and sighed before dialling a familiar number.

It rang a few times before a sleepy voice answered.

"Hello?" Brittany smiled at how cute her friend's voice sounded, but immediately felt guilty as she heard another voice in the background growl slightly before asking who it was.

She heard the soft voice murmur something to the other person followed by some shuffling before it went silent again.

"Sorry B, Rachel didn't get a great night's sleep last night so she's a bit grumpy this morning." She smiled as she thought of Rachel and Quinn cuddled up in bed together being all couple-y. She couldn't deny the slight pang of jealousy she felt as she silently wished that Santana and her could be like that.

"Santana tried calling me, and left me loads of texts. I didn't know what to do so I deleted them." She blurted out.

"Well, that's good. You don't need stuff clouding your judgement right now." Brittany blinked. What did clouds have to do with anything? She shrugged it off. There was silence for a few seconds before Brittany resumed talking.

"I want to see her, I miss her so much and it's only been a day." She cursed how small her voice sounded.

"I know you do B, but if you let her come over it's just going to make things harder for you. Santana cares about you, but she needs to realise that if she keeps acting how she is, she's going to lose you."

"What if she doesn't realise?"

"Trust me Britt, she'll realise real soon. I'm sure of it." The ditzy blonde wondered how Quinn was so sure about Santana.

She must be psychic.

Quinn crawled back into bed and immediately wrapped her arms around the sleeping brunette next to her. She kissed the back of her neck before closing her eyes. She was just drifting off to sleep when her phone's ringtone blared throughout the room. She quickly made a grab for it before Rachel woke up again.

"What?" She growled out as she wondered just what was with everyone calling her so early in the morning.

"What the hell crawled up your ass Fabray?" Quinn rolled her eyes and let her head fall back onto the pillow with a soft thud.

"Nothing crawled up my ass as you so eloquently put it Santana, I'm just wondering what power it is up there that's decided that me having any form of lie this morning isn't happening." She sighed and dragged her hand lazily through her hair.

"You've been hanging around the midget too much, you're starting to sound like her."

"Santana! I've told you not to call her that! Now have you called for anything in particular or just to insult my girlfriend, because if it's the latter, then this conversation is over." She heard laughing down the phone and felt her anger rising.

"Santana-" She warned before the other end went quiet.

"Ok, ok. Look have you heard from Brittany at all? She seemed a bit off yesterday and I can't get hold of her."

"We've spoken, yes." She decided to keep things vague.

"Oh so she's alive then." Sarcasm dripped through the Latina's words. "Great, that means she's ignoring me then."

"Look, I cant speak for Brittany. Honestly, right now really isn't the greatest time to be talking about anything. Can we meet up later?" She heard a deep sigh from the other end of the line.

"Fine, it's not like I have anything better to do with my day now."

"Wow, thanks Santana." She decided against voicing the bitter come back she had ready, not wanting to get into an argument with the cheerleader so painfully early in the morning.

"Ugh, get over it Q. You know what I mean. So are you coming over later then?"

"I'll be over after lunch."

Quinn turned off her phone after saying goodbye to Santana to prevent any more interruptions. She snuggled back into her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her petite waist once more. The small brunette moaned softly as she felt the light kiss placed on top of her head.

"Plan's coming along then?" She muttered as she turned to face Quinn.

"Plan! Seriously Rach? You had me really excited with all your enthusiasm, I honestly thought it was going to be the plan of the century. Then all you could come up with in the end was me bitching to her until she got it through her stubborn skull." She huffed as Rachel giggled softly.

"Well it sounds to me like it's all going the way we planned then." She mumbled tiredly with a soft grin plastered on her face.

Quinn opened her mouth to respond but realised that Rachel's breathing had evened out again. She pressed one last kiss to her girlfriend's temple before she started to drift off once more.

_A/N; So that's another chapter down. I'm a bit unsure of this chapter to be honest, I'm really paranoid that I'm just repeating myself but as I said, bare with me it will get better! The next chapter will have a lot of deep meaningfuls and maybe some ass kicking from Quinn. If anyone has any suggestions or anything then feel free to throw 'em at me. Don't forget to comment. ;)_

_Thanks for reading! _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Here's the next chapter. Hopefully I got the characters near enough correct. _

_Disclaimer: Still the same. Own nothing._

_All mistakes are mine too._

_Enjoy! :)_

Later that day found Quinn standing in front of Santana's front door. She wasn't totally sure just what she was planning to say to the fiery cheerleader, but she figured Rachel was right in saying that she was the only person who stood even the slightest chance of getting through to her. She took a deep breath as she rang the doorbell. A few moments later the door was opened and she was greeted my Santana's mother.

"Hello Quinn, I haven't seen you in forever. How are you getting on?" She wore a genuine smile on her face which Quinn found calming.

"I'm good thank you, and you?"

She rolled her eyes and grinned as she heard a band followed by some screaming coming from upstairs.

"Ay, dios mio. Same as ever, working and making sure my children aren't trying to kill one another. Anyway, Santana's up in her room. I'll warn you though, she isn't in one of the best moods." Quinn let out a short laugh and smiled at the older woman.

"I'm used to it, don't worry."

She made her way upstairs and stood in front of Santana's door. She knocked softly and heard something that resembled 'come in.'

She immediately heard the Latina's voice as she stepped into the room.

"I wish you'd tell me what I've done Britt, call me back ok?" She threw her phone down on the bed beside her in frustration as she sat up and finally acknowledged the blonde girl standing in front of her door. She wasted no time in expressing her annoyance to Quinn.

"She wont answer my calls or text me back! I mean seriously, how am I meant to fix whatever the hell it is that I've done if she wont talk to me?" She let out a frustrated sigh as she picked up her phone to check it again. She turned back to Quinn again.

"What did you guys talk about? Did she say anything to you?" Quinn calmly dropped her bag on the floor and moved to sit on Santana's bed. She crossed her legs and faced her friend. After a while she finally spoke.

"You know what Santana, you really are a complete moron sometimes." The Latina's eyes went wide at the insult.

"What the- where did that come from? I thought you were coming over here to help me!" She glared at the ex cheerleader who shrugged it off. Santana's death glare stopped working on her ages ago.

"I'm just speaking the truth." She kept her cool even though she swore she could literally see fire behind her friend's eyes.

"Have I missed something here?" Quinn snorted as Santana spoke.

"Yeah, obviously you have. Who's fault is that?" Santana rolled her eyes, she hated it when people spoke in riddles. She couldn't understand why people couldn't just talk normally.

"Not mine! How am I meant to know what's going on when no one tells me jack shit?"

"It's called opening your eyes and taking in what's going on around you instead of being selfish and concentrating on yourself all the time." She rolled her eyes at the brunette as she seemed to be having difficulties decided whether or not to be confused or seriously pissed at another insult being thrown at her.

"Nothing has changed though." Santana was starting to calm down a bit, confusion apparently winning out over her anger.

"I think that's the point." The brunette let out a frustrated sigh.

"Seriously, do you lack the art of talking like a normal person these days? Why the hell does everyone have to talk in fucking riddles?"

"I'm not talking in riddles Santana, you're just being a moron." Santana gaped at the blonde. She wasn't used to people being comfortable enough to insult her so easily.

"Let's think about things together shall we?" She realised she was being condescending, but she honestly didn't know how else to get through to her friend.

"Everyone knows something is going on between you and Britt. There is something so undeniably there, I mean she's the only person you actually show any form of compassion and patience to, for a start." Santana fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"I know you better than anyone Santana, and I can read you like a book and I can tell you have feelings for her." She spoke softly and noticed the brunette's head drop slightly.

"How would you feel knowing she'd slept with one of the guys from the football team?" Santana's head shot up, a mixture of anger and fear swirling deep within her eyes.

"She... didn't?" Quinn shook her head.

"I was speaking hypothetically, but what would you feel if she had." Santana looked down as she thought before her head raised again and her eyes met Quinn's.

"I... don't know. I mean, I wouldn't exactly be jumping for joy-" Quinn was quick to interrupt.

"Why?" Santana squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

"Why do you think!" Her temper was starting to rise again so Quinn decided to try and end this quickly.

"How do you think Britt felt when you blew her off yesterday to go out with that guy? Did you ever stop to think it might hurt her to see you do that as much as it would clearly hurt you if she was to do the same?" Quinn mentally high-fived herself as she started to see realisation dawning on Santana.

"I... I didn't think she wanted that. I mean I told her sex wasn't dating-" Quinn let out a bitter chuckle grabbing Santana's attention.

"Typical Santana. Then you wonder why I continue to call you a moron." Santana didn't even react to the insult. She just continued staring at the floor. Quinn remained silent for a while to let her friend take everything in.

"I... I care about her so much-" Quinn looked up at her friend after waiting patiently for her to speak.

"She means everything to me... but, I can't go there with her." Quinn's head snapped up to her friend.

"What?" Santana sighed as she shook her head, unable to make eye contact with the blonde.

"If we were to be in a relationship, imagine what school would be like. We'd both get slushie facials every single day, not to mention everyone whispering about us all the time. I mean remember all the shit you and Berry got when you first announced you were together?"

Quinn stared at her friend, an incredulous look plastered across her normally calm features.

"Well, yeah. But I mean look at us now! After about a week no one cared!" The brunette shook her head.

"It's not the same and you know it Q." Anger started bubbling up in the blonde.

"No, what I know is that you're making excuses-"

"Excuses? It's not the same Quinn! You took a nose dive in popularity when you decided to have sex with your boyfriend's best friend and then get knocked up. Then you went and decided you were gay for Berry ? I mean it's not like you could've dropped much lower is it? Look at me and Britt, no one messes with either of us, we have this whole high school shit down. I cant ruin that. That's why it's not the same!"

Santana has a feeling she may have gone too far. She chanced a look up at her friend who sat there staring at her. She didn't look like she was about to burst into tears, and she didn't look like she was about to rip Santana's head off. She was, calm. This scared Santana more. At least if she could tell what someone was thinking or feeling, she could generally determine the next step, now though... she had no idea. She looked up at Quinn again and felt her throat clench as she finally worked out what Quinn was feeling.

Disappointment.

Quinn shook her head and let out another bitter laugh before sighing.

"I always knew you were a moron Santana. I've known that since the day I met you. You jump into situations without thinking and run your mouth, or forget words altogether and use your fists. I always thought you were so stupid for being so reckless, but at the same time I admired you for it. You weren't afraid to stick up for yourself or make sure no one walked over you." She paused and stared deep in Santana's eyes, making sure her next point hit home.

"I always knew you were a moron. I never had you pegged as a coward though." She stared at her friend who's gaze was fixated on the floor again.

"You don't get it." Santana barely spoke above a whisper, and Quinn shook her head again.

"Yeah, you're right I don't. I don't get how someone could care so much about their reputation at a fucking high school, that they're intentionally missing out on having something so special with someone they obviously care about so much." Santana's head shot up.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Santana had tears flooding from her eyes as she muttered the same thing over and over.

"Why? Is the truth too much for you-" Santana lunged forwards shoving Quinn as a fresh round of sobs racked her body.

"You don't fucking get it Quinn. I don't care about what happens to me. If anyone gives me shit I can take it, and dish it right back out again, so people know not to mess with me. But Brittany? That girl is so loving, so fucking caring that she wouldn't say a damn thing, and everyone knows that! There's only so much I can watch her and make sure no one's messing with her... but all it would take it that one split second where I'm not there and all hell could break loose! I cant let that happen to her! I wont let that happen to her!" She paused and took a deep breath. "I care about her too much to watch her get beat down like that."

Quinn swallowed, and continued to stare at the brunette in front of her. Hunched over, head in her hands, shoulders shaking. After a few moments, Santana began to calm down and Quinn took the chance to move closer to her and wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a hug. Santana near enough threw herself into the blonde. Quinn finally decided to speak.

"I know everyone thinks Brittany is stupid and that she can't hold her own, but people don't give her enough credit. I'm fairly certain she's willing to take the risk and knowing B, she'd probably take charge when she needed to." Santana sniffed as she started to calm down, taking in Quinn's words.

"I had doubts when it came to me and Rachel. I thought, what would happen to me... could it get worse? Would it get worse? I wondered for ages whether it would be worth it. Then I thought about how when all those secrets came rushing out and everyone near enough abandoned me for a while, the only person who came through for me was her. I wont lie, we all know Rachel isn't exactly the most popular person in the school but she built up a friendship with everyone in Glee, and for the first time she had friends. When she took the time to make sure I was ok, the way everyone felt about what happened, she could've lost all of them as well." Santana look up at her, eyes still shimmering with un-shed tears. Quinn smiled.

"I remember it was then I thought, that if she could take the risk of losing the friendship and respect of the only people she's probably ever been able to call friends, then I could definitely take the risk when it came to a bunch of people who I don't care about and probably won't ever see again after I leave this hell hole. It took a lot of getting used to, but now... now I can't imagine myself without her." She noticed that Santana's head had dropped again, and so she brought her hand up to gently lift Santana's chin.

"You need to sort yourself out and take that leap, because the way I see it... if I can survive it, I have absolutely no doubt that you can." She smiled softly at the brunette who wrapped her arms around Quinn and whispered something in her ear.

"Thank you."

_A/N: So there's another one down. :) Hopefully I did it some form of justice. The next chapter will be between Brittany and Rachel. Please let me know what you think. _

_Comments make me happy. :D _

_Thanks for reading!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Next chapter! Sorry for the slight delay._

_Disclaimer: Same as... still own nada. _

_All mistakes are mine. _

_Enjoy! :)_

"Brittany!" The blonde girl lifted her head off the pillow, eyes squinting at the intruding light. Her mother's voice called her again so she dragged herself out of bed. She opened her door and came face to face with the older blonde woman, hand raised ready to knock. She smiled brightly at her daughter before handing the phone.

"It's Rachel Berry." She explained seeing the look of hesitance on Brittany's face. The younger girl frowned as she took the phone and walked back into her room, barely registering her mother's voice telling her to bring the phone down when she's finished.

She closed her door and leant against it, letting out a tired sigh.

"Hey Rachel."

"Brittany! How are you? I was wondering if you had a few hours spare and wish to hang out or something? I don't want to intrude at all but Quinn explained to me the situation which is currently troubling you, and as Quinn has gone out for a few hours I thought you might want some company, try and take your mind off things? I know that when I have things on my mind, I find it best to-" Brittany grinned widely as she listened to the small brunette ramble on in typical Rachel Berry fashion.

"That sounds great Rachel."

"Fantastic! Which activities do you wish to partake in then? Shopping, coffee? Maybe go see a movie or something?"

Brittany thought hard for a minute before smiling again.

"Can we go feed the ducks at the park?"

Rachel found it rather odd that Brittany wanted to come to feed the ducks of all things, but as the two girls walked side by side through the park towards the pond she couldn't help but notice the girl already seemed more relaxed than when she'd first dropped round her house to pick her up.

Eventually they made it to the water and sat themselves down on a bench, silently throwing food to the ducks who began moving towards them.

"This is where I like coming sometimes when I just need to think about things." Rachel turned slightly at the sound of Brittany's voice breaking the comfortable silence between them, but remained quiet.

"I don't know why. I just feel... happy here. That probably sounds really stupid." She dropped her head slightly to look at a small duckling moving slowly towards a piece of food by the blonde's foot.

"It's not stupid Brittany. Everyone has a place they go to think about things, a place where they feel comfortable and relaxed."

"Do you have a special place?" She looked up to meet the brunette's gaze. Rachel nodded before throwing another handful of food on the floor in front of them.

"Choir room. Nothing makes me more relaxed than playing the piano. No matter what happens to me during the day, just going in there for a while and practising just relaxes me again." Brittany giggled softly.

"I should have known that really." Rachel blushed but smiled, glad to hear the blonde girl laughing again.

"Well, there are limited places to go in our school." Brittany's smile faltered and she frowned as she thought about something.

"I'm really sorry. About things that happened to you in school." Rachel smiled softly and reached a hand out to grip the cheerleader's shoulder softly getting her attention.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I quickly learnt about the high school hierarchy and where I stood. It's kill or be killed-" Brittany gave her a horrified look.

"Not literally Brittany! It's a figure of speech, honest." The blonde girl shot a confused look to Rachel who just smiled and reassured her it didn't matter. Brittany felt happy with this and relaxed again.

"Still Rachel, it was really horrible of us to do all those things to you. Santana kept telling me that it was just the way things worked in school, but I don't get why. It's really mean." Rachel chuckled softly, not surprised at the mention of Santana's behaviour.

"Yeah it was, but like I said before I kind of get it. You have to protect yourself, keep your reputation up by tarnishing that of others. It may not be right, but who's going to change it?" She shot a sad smile at the blonde who looked annoyed.

"I don't understand why Santana still does it though. She basically rules that school, or at least that's what she keeps telling me."

"It's because she's scared Britt." The blonde Cheerio looked at Rachel as if she'd grown two heads. Rachel nodded with a soft smile.

"She can't be, Santana isn't afraid of anything. She could kick anyone's ass in that school, near enough everyone is scared of her." Rachel placed her hand on Brittany's arm to get her attention again.

"She's scared about you Britt. I don't think I've ever met anyone as happy as you are, or filled with as much compassion as you. You're literally like a walking rainbow." She grinned at the blonde who looked at her, confused once again.

"Why a rainbow?" Rachel shakes her head, laughing and continues talking.

"The thing that scares her the most is the thought that something might happen to you. So she keeps her reputation up super high to look after both of you." Brittany thinks about this and lets out a soft sigh.

"Do you think that's why she sleeps with all those guys?" Rachel nodded sadly and placed her arm around Brittany's shoulders.

"Yeah... but she cares about you so much. That much is obvious to everyone, never doubt that." Brittany relaxed into Rachel's small embrace and rested her head on the smaller girl's shoulder.

"I wish she'd just stay with me instead of those other guys though. Even if people say or do anything to either of us, it wouldn't matter 'cause we'd have each other. That would make everything bad that happened totally worth it right?"

Rachel smiled as she thought about everything that had happened to Quinn and her after they'd made it obvious they were in a relationship. It was difficult but thinking to how they both are now, it was totally worth it. She let out a contended sigh at the thought and nodded softly.

"This is why you're a rainbow Brittany." Brittany looked at her again.

"Don't rainbows only come out when it's raining? Rain isn't very good, it makes you all wet and stuff."

"Yeah, rain sucks but rainbows make pretty colours despite that. It's like making the best of a bad situation, keep on smiling no matter what happens. That's you in a nutshell Britt." She smiled at the blonde who was now grinning at the thought of being a colourful rainbow.

"So rainbows make rainy days a bit better then, yeah?"

"Much better Brittany, Much better."

They sat in silence again as they emptied the rest of the food on the ground in front of them. Rachel looked up and towards the blonde who stood up suddenly.

"I'm going to show Santana that it's all worth it, that she doesn't have to be scared because I'll be her rainbow." She looked at Rachel with determination set on her face. She reached forwards and grabbed Rachel pulling her up off the bench and into a hug.

She lifted her head to whisper something in Rachel's ear.

"Thank you."

_A/N: Another chapter finished! I wanted to have a contrast between Santana having her ass handed to her, and Brittany having her eyes opened. So hopefully, it's all gone according to plan! _

_Please review, they make me happy. :) _

_Thanks for reading! _


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Sorry for the distinct lack of updates, I went away for a long weekend. _

_Disclaimers and stuff are still the same, I own nothing and all mistakes are mine, blah blah blaaaah._

_Enjoy! _

Santana sat at the kitchen table nursing a cup of tea between her hands. She stared at the cup miserably as her thoughts from the day caught up with her. Quinn was right, she needed to sort herself out and make something happen with Brittany. The only problem she was having though was the thought of telling her parents. She wouldn't be able to keep it a secret from them, she couldn't... it wouldn't be fair on Brittany. She sighed heavily as she heard the front door to her house open.

Her mother walked in muttering something in Spanish under her breath. Santana took a deep breath as she stood up.

"Mom? I need to talk to you about something." The older lady busied herself around the kitchen putting her shopping away.

"Right now Mija? Can it wait until later? Your father is on his way home and I haven't even started getting dinner ready yet."

"Not really, it's sort of important." Her voice wasn't as strong as she was hoping and her mother stopped to face her. She stepped forwards and inspected her daughter.

"Is everything okay?" Santana nodded and motioned for the older woman to sit down at the kitchen table, the brunette taking her seat from before, her cup of tea now cold and forgotten.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"This doesn't have anything to do with Brittany does it?" Santana's eyes shot open and her jaw dropped slightly.

"The only reason I ask is because I haven't seen her around here for a while. I mean you two are practically inseparable. Did something happen between you two?"

Santana nodded softly and dropped her gaze to the table. Her mother reached across the table and grabbed her daughter's hand.

"Whatever it is you can tell me, I'll try and help you fix whatever it is that's happened with you two."

Santana shook her head as tears began rolling down her cheeks.

She dragged a shaky hand through dark locks. "I don't think I can." She looked up at her mother and smiled sadly.

"You'll hate me." Her mother shook her head and reached forwards and cupped her daughter's cheek and smiled softly.

"Mija, I'm your mother. Nothing you ever do will make me hate you. You have and will continue to do stupid things in your life, but that's all part of that learning curve that comes with growing up. I could never ever hate you."

The tears were constant now and Santana's whole body shook violently as she sobbed. Her mother quickly stood up and moved to cuddle her daughter and whispered comforting words to her.

"Mija... what has happened?"

"I'm in love with Brittany."

Silence. Santana sat there in shock whilst she went over in her head just what she'd just said. She knew she had feelings for the blonde cheerleader but she wasn't exactly ready to just drop her own mother in it all like that. She felt her mother move backwards out of the embrace they had been sharing and look at her with wide eyes.

"You love her?" She near enough whispered.

Santana closed her eyes, images of Quinn being disowned by her parents flashing through her head. Quinn's sobbing voice explaining to everyone how her father had called her filth, a disgrace to her family. She thought about her own family doing the same, her father yelling at her and calling her a disappointment.

"I figured you liked her, but I didn't know you loved her."

Wait, what?

Santana looked up with wide eyes at her mother who was sat there with a knowing smile on her face. She pulled her daughter into a hug again and chuckled softly in her ear.

"Mija, have you seen you two together?" Santana was still in shock as she listened to her mother's words.

After a few minutes, Santana had finally calmed down. She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve and sniffed.

"So are you two together?" Santana let out a bitter chuckle and shook her head.

"Nope. I acted like an idiot and now I don't even know if I have a chance with her."

"What makes you say that?"

"I pretended to not be interested in her." She resisted the urge to slam her head down on the table as even she couldn't believe what she'd done.

"I did it to protect her. I didn't want everyone at school giving her hell because of it. She couldn't take it."

The older woman show her daughter a sympathetic smile.

"You should have more confidence Santana, your father and I raised you to be a strong woman." She makes Santana look at her again.

Santana smiled at her mother.

She froze again slightly as she thought of her father again. "What's dad going to say?" Her mother chuckled as she squeezed her daughter one more time before getting up and making a start on dinner.

"Like I said, have you seen you two together? He'll probably just be glad he doesn't have to worry about you getting pregnant." She laughed as Santana went bright red and groaned as she started to drag herself away from the table.

"Santana, just remember one thing-" Her mother was throwing various ingredients into a pot on the stove as the Latina looked up.

"Nothing that's worth having comes easy. Never forget that."

There it was. There were no more reasons now, no more excuses.

Santana ran out of the room and grabbed her jacket from the closet before slamming the door and grabbing her keys.

"Where are you going?" Her mother came out of the kitchen holding a wooden spoon.

"I've got to go tell Brittany how I feel." She opened the door and ran down the path towards her car.

"Save me some food! I'll warm it when I get back in!" She shouted up to her mother as she got in her car and shut the door.

"Mija! Not a late one please!" She yelled back as the car screeched off down the street. She shook her head with a small smile, barely noticing her husband walking up to her and kissing her on the cheek.

"Where's Santana off to in such a hurry?"

The older woman sighed softly. "She's finally following her heart." Both parents grinned as the walked back into the house.

Brittany was lying on the couch when she heard a knock at the door. Her father walked through to answer.

"Oh, well long time no see." The older man smiled warmly as he opened the door and ushered the guest inside. "Brittany, you have a guest." She looked at the door as her father walked in to the room and gasped when she saw who was following him. She stood up immediately and came face to face with Santana.

Neither girls said anything for a few minutes, just staring at each other. Brittany's father stood there with a slightly confused smile on his face as he looked between the two girls. Eventually he rolled his eyes and walked out muttering something under his breath about not understanding girls.

Santana felt nerves flush through her as she looked at the blonde girl in front of her, her blue eyes burning into the Latina's brown ones. "I'm sorry." Santana finally broke the silence. The blonde let her gaze drop to the floor as her friend spoke. She wanted to be with Santana so badly and she knew that deep down, Santana had some good intentions with her actions, but she wasn't going to just let her apologise and that was it. A soft hand cupped her chin lifted her head so the two girls locked eyes again. Brittany gasped as she stared into the Latina's dark eyes and saw something she rarely saw with Santana.

Desperation.

"I'm sorry." She whispered again as tears started gathering in those same dark eyes. Brittany smiled softly and nodded.

"I know you are-" Santana shook her head interrupting her friend.

"No Brittany, listen. I wanted to protect you, make sure no one hurt you. I never thought I'd be the one doing the hurting though." Brittany didn't say a word, what could she say? Watching her flirt and hook up with a random guys did hurt her.

"I'm scared B. I mean look at all the shit that Kurt gets, that Rachel and Quinn got. It scares the shit out of me." She paused and took a deep breath, whilst grasping one of Brittany's hands between her own. "Thing is, I'm more scared of what might happen if I let you go, and lose you for good." The blonde girl's heart was racing, she knew as soon as Santana came in that there would be loads of apologising and maybe, just maybe she'd come to her senses, but now as the inevitable was rapidly approaching, nerves completely overcame her and she started shaking slightly in anticipation. This was really happening.

"Santana-" The Latina shook her head again.

"Look, It's going to be hard, really fucking hard I know that. Thing is, I was told something today that really put things in perspective for me." She leaned forward and rested her forehead against Brittany's and smiled.

"What if everyone starts saying things and it gets too much for you?" Brittany needed to make damn sure this was going to work. It hurt like hell when she was under the assumption that she wanted something she probably could never have the way she wanted it. That was probably nothing in comparison to the hurt she'd feel if she poured everything into a relationship, only for it to break down as soon as Santana got freaked.

"They can kiss my very amazing ass." Brittany went to speak but Santana beat her to it again.

"Brit, I know I'm not being hugely convincing right now. Please just, give us a go-" Brittany raised her hand and placed a finger against the Latina's lips, effectively silencing her. Santana began to panic.

"Calm down. I was going to say, I think we should give this a go." The other girl's eyes went wide before a grin broke out on her face.

Brittany chuckled and looked into the other girl's eyes. "Tell me this is really happening." The dark skinned cheerleader laughed this time and nodded, a watery grin spread across her face. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again straight after. Words really weren't needed right now.

She leaned forwards and pressed her lips softly against Brittany's, every bit of emotion and understanding poured into it. They both pulled back and were breathing heavily.

"I love you." Santana whispered, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks, the emotion from the last few days catching up to her again.

"I know, it's obvious." Santana raised an eyebrow and Brittany giggled. "Have you seen us together?" Santana's jaw dropped slightly.

"I'm having a total deja-vu moment." Brittany was the one to raise an eyebrow in confusion this time. Santana just smiled again and pressed another kiss to her lips.

Brittany pulled Santana to her and held her tight. She rested her cheek against the top of the Latina's head and breathed in savouring the moment, still scared that at any moment she would suddenly wake up and still be lying on the couch watching crappy tv. Santana placed a kiss against the blonde's neck and Brittany grinned. She pulled back and held the other girl at arm's length, earning a confused look.

"I have one more favour... no, condition." Brittany spoke suddenly and moved slightly so her eyes met her girlfriend's.

Her girlfriend. That had a nice ring to it.

The Latina smiled and nodded.

"You have to start being nice to Rachel."

Santana groaned. "Why do I need to start being nice to that midget?" The blonde girl swatted Santana's arm gently.

"If it wasn't for her, we may not be here right now."

"Woah woah woah, sweet child of mine. Repeat that last part for me?" Brittany smirked.

"I was really angry at you, really upset. I didn't want to talk to you, or see you. Rachel came to see me and managed to convince me that you're a good person deep down and that you were trying to look after me, basically everything you said. Which is sorta weird, maybe she's the one who's psychic, not Quinn." She had her thinking face on whilst Santana's jaw still remained hanging open.

"She, huh?" Brittany giggled at Santana's face.

"She had a lot of nice things to say about you, even though you've been really mean to her since we were kids." Santana seriously couldn't believe what she was hearing and was about to go into a tirade of reasons about why exactly this wasn't going to happen, when she looked into Brittany's eyes and saw the flicker of sadness in them.

"She's a really good person and she's had loads of bad stuff happen to her. I was just thinking, now you've decided you don't have to protect me so much, maybe you can protect her a bit now?"

"I don't know B..." Brittany jumped up and down.

"No no wait! It's fine we can make one of those list things!" Santana's eyebrow rose again.

"Yeah yeah! Those lists people use to make decisions and stuff!"

"A pro and con list?" The bubbly blonde nodded excitedly. "Seriously?"

"I'll start! Pro: She's really nice and kind!"

"Con: She's really loud and irritating." The blonde girl frowned slightly.

"Pro: She's going out with Quinn!"

"Con: She's going out with Quinn."

"Santana! Come on, please?"

Santana frowned and shook her head letting out an exasperated sigh.

"If I agree to this, can we start making out again?" The blonde girl giggled and pulled her girlfriend into her again.

Santana was totally whipped.

_A/N: Ok, so a slightly longer chapter to make up for the lack of updates. Hope it was ok, more on the way soon. _

_Thanks for reading! _


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Next update, sorry for the slight delay! _

_)-)-)-)-)-)-)-)_

Monday soon came around again and found Brittany staring at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't quite sure how long she'd been standing there for. The rest of the weekend was spent with Santana and herself talking about 'them' and everything that was possibly going to come up when people started finding out. She was nervous, even with Santana's words floating through her head.

"_No one will mess with us B, and if they do then they'll very quickly regret it."_

She smiled briefly as she pictured the determined look on her girlfriend's face, but it was short lived as she started to worry again. Santana had worked for a long time to get her reputation to where it was and even harder to keep it there. She trusted the Latina, she still couldn't shake this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that as soon as the shit started flying, Santana would freak. She sighed and grabbed her bag as she walked downstairs and into the kitchen. She silently sat down and murmured a thank you when a plat of toast was put in front of her.

She'd barely even picked up a piece of toast when someone knocked on the front door. Her mother made her way to greet the visitor as Brittany slowly bit into her toast. She grimaced as the toast felt like cardboard in her mouth, her nerves making her mouth feel dry. The older woman walked back into the kitchen smiling, with another blonde girl following her slowly.

"Hey Britt, thought you might want a ride?" Brittany smiled in relief a bit when she looked up and saw Quinn standing there dangling her keys. She pushed her plate of toast away and grabbed an apple before giving her mother a kiss on the cheek and following Quinn out of the door.

Brittany was still feeling distracted and leant her head against the window staring at the road as they drove in silence, save for the soft music from the radio. She chanced a quick glance at the other girl who was tapping her fingers on the steering wheel lightly in time to the music. She couldn't help but smile at how absolutely relaxed Quinn looked now. You could tell that she was better off now than she was before she got pregnant, she didn't have the stress of Cheerios and Sue Sylvester or the pressure of trying to keep her reputation at school as high as it could be. It was like she was a brand new girl.

She sighed and returned her gaze to outside the window wondering if Santana and her would ever be at this point. She was brought out of her thoughts as the car stopped and the engine cut out. She looked at the clock and realised they were 15 minutes early. The other girl turned to face her, still looking totally relaxed.

"We're a bit early." The cheerleader spoke softly.

"Yeah, well I figured it might take a while to get you out of the car so I thought ahead." Brittany blushed and looked away. She felt Quinn place a hand on her shoulder and she shyly looked up into hazel eyes.

"It'll be ok. It's going to feel really daunting and you're probably going to want to bolt out of there about twenty times today, but just remember it'll be ok eventually. You and Santana are both strong, I know you guys can do this." Brittany smiled slightly and Quinn gave her shoulder a soft squeeze before leaning in a bit closer. "Plus, you've got me and Rach as well." Brittany grinned and pulled Quinn into a quick hug.

They got out of the car when they saw Rachel walking towards the car. Brittany observed Quinn as she looked on at her girlfriend. She'd never seen her friend look so happy, and that made her happy. It was relatively short lived though as both girls noticed Karofsky running up behind Rachel, slushy in hand. Rachel must have noticed their faces as she stopped and turned around. Her eyes closed on reflex as she awaited the cold ice to hit her face. After a few seconds she timidly opened her eyes to see the gormless boy standing there covered in the blue slushie. She blinked before noticing the slightly taller, tanned girl standing besides her.

"Don't." She growled out, her signature glare directed onto the football player in front of her. He stood there shocked, all the kids around them pointing and laughing. He grimaced before smirking at Santana.

"I was about to ask why the hell you were sticking up for this pathetic little midget, but then I remembered, you're just like her aren't you. Swappin' spit with that retard over there." He motioned over to where Brittany and Quinn were standing and Santana's fists clenched in anger. Karofsky grinned, clearly not finished talking.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it when I first heard it, it's pathetic really." He spat the last bit as his grin grew wider.

Brittany started panicking. They hadn't even entered school yet and it was already starting. She watched Santana, preying that they wouldn't break before they even had a chance to start. Quinn, being ever perceptive, nudged Brittany's shoulder and gave her and easy smile.

"Keep the faith, she'll be fine."

How Quinn always knew what was going on was starting to freak Brittany out, she was about to ask Quinn for the millionth time if she was psychic, before the scene in front of them kicked off.

What happened though, neither girl expected.

An ear drum shatteringly high pitched screech echoed throughout the parking lot. Santana stood wide eyed as she watched the smaller girl next to her quickly reach out with the speed of a ninja and grab Karofsky's... special place.

"You think we're pathetic? Honestly? If we're the pathetic ones I really hate to think what the hell you are. You just _wish_ you could get the kind of girls we have." She increased her grip earning a whimper from Karofsky as he locked eyes with her, pleading. She growled and gave one final crunching squeeze before letting go, watching as the boy dropped to his knees, tears running down his cheeks.

"Have you got anything else you want to share with the group?" She asked patronisingly and he shook his head, whimpering. She stood up straight and smiled as she faced Santana.

"Shall we?" She asked brightly and Santana nodded dumbly.

They four girls walked into the building to a couple of cheers from their fellow students. Brittany laughed as she looked over at Quinn who was practically drooling over her girlfriend. Santana had apparently recovered from her shock, finally, and grabbed her girlfriend's hand.

"Fuck me Berry, I never thought I'd see the day you'd pull something like that. I'm impressed." Rachel grinned widely and Brittany giggled leaning into her girlfriend.

"Guess you don't need to protect her as much as I thought." Santana smirked, trying to look relieved, she wasn't fooling anyone though, especially not Brittany. They split up as Brittany and Quinn went to Spanish and Santana and Rachel made their way to Math.

Santana slung an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders as they walked towards their class and couldn't help but chuckle at Rachel jumping slightly at the contact.

"Relax Berry, I'm not gonna hurt you. Just informing you of how lucky you are that today you get to sit next to pure awesomness." Rachel raised an eyebrow. "That's me by the way." The smaller girl rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"You mean you forgot to ask Quinn for her homework earlier so you want to copy mine before class starts, right?" The cheerleader gasps in mock shock as they sit down at a desk.

"I'm hurt, you always think the worst of people." Rachel merely rolled her eyes again and slid her homework across the desk until it sat in front of the Latina before getting the rest of her stuff out of her back. She looked at Santana again who winked before quickly scribbling down the answers.

Rachel sighed as the adrenaline from earlier began to wear off. Her hands started shaking as a rather disgruntled football player limped into the room to hushed whispers and snickers from the other occupants of the room. He had managed to quickly get some of the slush off him, however his shirt was still stained blue. He glanced over at Rachel and glared at her. Her fists clenched again and she felt herself shaking more.

"Easy tiger, you've done enough ball busting for one day." Santana murmured as she finished up copying Rachel's work. She quickly changed her focus from the paper to Karofsky and shot him a glare of her own which made him shrink back in his seat a bit.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Santana looked at Rachel who was staring up at her with her big brown eyes. She didn't know why she was expecting the little diva to not say anything, she has an opinion or question for literally everything.

"What can I say, I'm not that great in Math."

Rachel let out a sigh as she grabbed back her homework just as their teacher walked into the classroom.

_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)_)

_A/N: Just a bit of a filler chapter, I wanted Rachel to be the one doing the ass kicking for a change, and have some interaction between her and Santana. They've still got the rest of the school day left and Glee club, so there's still more to come. _

_Thanks for reading! _


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